“Do you know how many people die of cancer every year?” Kolkhorst asked. “For a man who is always talking about the size of the budget ... the cost drivers there have to do with our health and our health habits and personal responsibility. I ask you to show some decorum in this House.”

There was applause. Simpson retreated after playing up the serious side of his proposal, citing carcinogens in perfume.

The freshman representative earlier drew attention by fighting an effort by Rep. Senfronia Thompson, D-Houston, to crack down on puppy mills, saying it would lead to “a dog Gestapo.” He said he wasn't trying to be funny then, either.

The smoking ban by Rep. Myra Crownover, R-Denton, was added to a bigger revenue bill. She means for it to allow stricter local smoking bans, like those in San Antonio and Houston, to take precedence locally. It was amended, though, to exempt pool halls from the ban statewide regardless of local ordinances.

Crownover, who wants to protect workers from secondhand smoke, hopes to have that provision removed in negotiations with the Senate over the revenue bill. Because the larger measure must pass to balance the budget, it's unclear if the smoking ban will stay in. But she's got a fiscal argument for it, saying it would save an estimated $30 million in Medicaid expenses related to smoking-related health problems.As for Simpson, there's a week left in the session. Can't wait to see what he does next.

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The party of hope? You've got to say it's the GOP, based on the proposed state budget.

Republicans driving the proposal have officially ignored $4.8 billion worth of anticipated Medicaid caseload costs. That means they're pushing the cost back to the next time they meet in 2013, with some expressing hope the tab will be reduced if federal law changes or caseload growth slows.

They've factored in another $700 million in “hopeful” money (the term used by Rep. Sylvester Turner, D-Houston) based on the idea the state will get a federal waiver allowing money-saving changes in the Texas Medicaid program..

In public education, they're assuming property tax values will rise more than anticipated, yielding $800 million in additional local money to reduce state costs. They say Comptroller Susan Combs has blessed this assumption.

There's also an accounting maneuver to push one state school payment back slightly, just enough to move it from the upcoming fiscal period to the next one. Voila, there's another $2 billion. If not hope, it's at least accounting magic.

If all that hope doesn't pan out, they've got the rainy day fund to fall back on. They plan to save $6.6 billion of it, untouched, in part “so that we can cover any possible revenue shortfalls in 2013,” said Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst.

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Rep. John Davis, R- Houston, said he's given up for this session on capping the sales tax for big yachts to try to compete with Florida's more favorable tax laws. But Davis said he's still trying to find a legislative vehicle for a “safe harbor” provision that backers also say is meant to help keep jobs in Texas. The safe-harbor provision would exempt the vessels from the sales tax if they're bought by non-residents and taken out of Texas within 10 days. It also would allow people to bring yachts to Texas to be repaired or remodeled and keep them here until the work is done without incurring the use tax, which kicks in after 90 days. With an eye toward floating the tax cap again in the 2013 session, Davis said he would like his Economic and Small Business Development Committee to study and develop data on the drift of yacht sales to Florida.